Crolingo: How Mayntech is addressing the language integration of foreign workers

The Croatian economy is undergoing the largest structural transformation of the labour market in recent history. The construction sector, tourism, logistics, delivery and manufacturing now rely heavily on workers from abroad — from the Philippines, Nepal and India to Egypt, Uzbekistan and the wider region.

However, with the new amendments to the Foreigners Act, the rules of the game have changed. For a foreign worker to renew their temporary residence and work permit, the law now requires proof of having passed a Croatian language exam at A1.1 level.

This means that over 200,000 foreign workers must learn the basics of the language, master workplace terminology and pass the exam within a short period.

And this is where a huge problem arises.

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A gap in the market: Courses that do not speak the workers’ language

Croatia’s traditional education system is completely unprepared for this challenge:

• Traditional schools and evening courses are slow, expensive and inflexible for people working 10- to 12-hour shifts.
• Textbooks and dry 150-page PDFs are written in academic language and assume that learners already have a perfect command of English or German.
• Interactive solutions did not exist: Global apps such as Duolingo do not offer Croatian for speakers of languages such as Tagalog, Nepali, Hindi or Arabic, nor do they cover the specific situations foreign workers find themselves in.

The market needed a digital, intuitive and enjoyable solution that could fit in a pocket — and the answer came from Split.

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What Tomislav Petrinović built with Mayntech

Recognising this social and business vacuum, Split-based software & product studio Mayntech, led by project lead and CTO Tomislav Petrinović, began developing Crolingo (crolingo.com).

Instead of administrative hassle, it created a modern, gamified platform available on the web (app.crolingo.com) and on mobile devices (Android and iOS):

1. An interface in 23 languages: Crolingo removes the first and greatest barrier — users learn Croatian starting from their native language, whether they speak Tagalog, Nepali, Arabic, Ukrainian or English.

2. Learning through real work and life scenarios: There are no dry grammar tables. Daily lessons lasting 10 to 15 minutes simulate real conversations: a job interview, communication on a construction site, working in a restaurant kitchen, visiting a doctor, speaking with a landlord or handling documents at a counter.

3. Advanced AI integration (Whisper + Claude): The built-in speech recognition system (Whisper) enables workers to practise their pronunciation, while an AI mentor provides personalised feedback and corrections in real time.

4. Gamification that keeps users motivated: Daily streaks, points, leaderboards and badges turn learning into a game, dramatically reducing the drop-out rate.

5. A B2B portal for employers: Employers (construction companies, hotel chains and recruitment agencies) use a centralised system to purchase licences for their employees, monitor their progress in real time and generate the certificates required to regulate their residence.

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Verge joins: Engineering strength meets visual polish

Mayntech has built an exceptionally robust engineering foundation — a stable architecture based on Next.js and Supabase, advanced AI API integrations and a multilingual system that works seamlessly.

However, at Verge Digital Studio, we believe that a high-quality product must look and feel as good as it functions "under the bonnet". When a product solves a serious problem, its interface must not feel utilitarian and grey — it should provide a sense of pride, ease and visual enjoyment.

That is why Verge is entering into a strategic partnership with Mayntech and beginning a comprehensive visual and UX polish of the Crolingo platform:

• Defining a consistent Design System: Creating a unified design language that connects the web application, mobile screens and marketing presence.
• Refining typography and visual hierarchy: Adjusting contrast, legibility and the rhythm of elements so that foreign workers, who are often encountering the Latin alphabet or specific diacritics (č, ć, ž, š, đ) for the first time, feel confident and comfortable.
• Micro-interactions and fluid transitions: Enriching the user flow with subtle success animations, visual rewards for completed lessons and tactile feedback that makes learning enjoyable.
• Brand evolution: Raising Crolingo’s overall presentation to the level of the world’s leading EdTech platforms.

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Conclusion: Products that change everyday life

We are proud to support Tomislav Petrinović and the Mayntech team as partners on a project that not only responds to legal deadlines, but also gives the people who build and maintain our everyday lives an opportunity for genuine, dignified integration into society.

This partnership perfectly reflects our vision at Verge: combining deep technical expertise with uncompromising design.

We will soon share a more detailed look at the redesign process and the first visual results. Until then, you can try Crolingo at crolingo.com.